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Volume 56, No. 10 December 2015
You can explore our club website: http://www.novamineralclub.org/
NVMC members:
If you have not yet paid your annual dues, now is the time! You can use the form on page 18.
Club Officer Elections Coming Up!
The NVMC will elect club officers for 2016 at
the December meeting before the holiday party.
Nominated are:
President ........................ Bob Cooke
Vice-President ............... Ti Meredith
Treasurer ....................... Rick Reiber
Secretary ........................ David MacLean
Merry Christmas!
Happy Hannukah!
A spectacular tanzanite in
the Smithsonian National
Mineral Collection.
Photo: Chip Clark.
Tanzanite December
birthstone
Holiday Party December 16, 6:30‒9:30 p.m.
The NVMC and the Micromineralogists of the Na-
tional Capital Area are jointly hosting this year’s hol-
iday party at the Long Branch Nature Center (our
usual club meeting place). We welcome Alec Bren-
ner, our Cal Tech student, at our holiday party. He
will present a short program based on his research in
optical mineralogy: “Searching for Water in Meteor-
ites.”
The NVMC will pay for barbeque from Red Hot &
Blue. The MNCA will provide drinks. We are asking
club members, on a voluntary basis, to provide appe-
tizers and desserts. If your last name begins with A‒
L, please bring an appetizer; if you last name begins
with M‒Z, please bring a dessert..
In the holiday spirit, we are asking club members, on
a voluntary basis, to bring a wrapped gift marked
FOSSIL, MINERAL, or LAPIDARY.
Please come and enjoy!
Meeting: December 16 Time: 6:30 p.m.
Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington, VA 22204
The Mineral Newsletter
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 2
In this issue …
Gemology 101 ...................................... p. 3
GMU club show .................................... p. 3
Exploring minerals in France: Part 2 .... p. 5
AFMS: Safety matters ........................... p. 7
EFMLS: Debate over “rockhound” ....... p. 7
Tribune Tower ...................................... p. 8
Red Hatters visit Manassas quarry ....... p. 10
Humor: Christmas firemen ................... p. 10
Father of Geology: James Hutton......... p. 11
Minding minds: Geology 101 ............... p. 14
Mineral of the month: Veszelyite ........ p. 15
Upcoming events .................................. p. 16
Club membership form ........................ p. 17
Deadline for Submissions
January 2
So we can send out the newsletter on time, please make your submission by the 1st of the month! Submissions received later might go into a later newsletter.
Sad News: Cynthia Payne
Cynthia Payne, who was very active in our hobby, passed away on Sunday, November 15, 2015. Cynthia was a longstanding member of the Mineralogical Society of the District of Co-lumbia, a founding member of the Micro-mineralogists of the National Capital Area, Inc., and a member of the Micromounters Hall of Fame. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, friendship, and guidance will be greatly missed.
Perovskite: Most Common Mineral
by Ed Goldberg
Editor’s note: The piece is adapted from The Conglomer-
ate (newsletter of the Baltimore Mineral Society, Balti-
more, MD), July 2014, p. 5.
For many years, geophysicists have supposed that
the Earth’s lower mantle is made up of a high-
pressure mineral not seen on the Earth’s surface. Be-
cause the mantle is so large, that mineral would be
the most common mineral in the Earth’s crust.
But until recently, the mineral had no name. The In-
ternational Mineralogical Association is the gate-
keeper for mineral designations, and they insist that a
mineral cannot be named until it’s structure is known.
Because none of this high-pressure material can form
at the Earth’s surface, its structure could not be de-
termined; therefore, it could not be named.
Now scientists studying the Tenham meteorite in
Queensland, Australia, have found tiny traces of the
mineral that formed when the meteorite hit the Earth
in 1879. From the tiny bits in the meteorite, they de-
termined the mineral’s structure, and the association
has now approved the name bridgmanite, in honor of
Percy Williams Bridgman (1882–1961), an expert in
high-pressure physics.
Bridgmanite (above) was named for
Percy Williams Bridgman (left).
Source: Wikipedia.
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 3
Sheryl Sims (center) with Girl Scouts from Troop 4841.
Photo: Linda Larson and Sandy Graf, Troop coleaders.
When It Comes to Gems and
Minerals—the Message Is Clear Cut!
by Sheryl E. Sims
GEMOLOGY 101: I had a wonderful meeting with
Girl Scout Troop 4841 on Tuesday, November 17.
They are a combined Senior/Ambassador Girl Scout
Troop that meets at my church.
I was asked to give a short presentation on gemstones
and to discuss the four C’s: clarity, color, cut, and
carat. We talked about a few other general mineral-
related matters as well. The Scouts also enjoyed a
“flashing rock” demonstration, where each of them
created sparks by rubbing large pieces of quartz to-
gether.
The Girl Scouts were great, and they were enthusias-
tic about learning what our mineral club does. I invit-
ed them to join and to attend our upcoming gem and
mineral show. I look forward to seeing them there.
What About Other Club
Newsletters?
by Hutch Brown, Editor
Ever wonder what they’re like?
Many of you already know, because you be-
long to multiple clubs.
We’re lucky: We live in a metropolitan area packed
with people interested in geology, mineralogy, and so
forth. Flourishing clubs range from northern Virginia
to Baltimore, all with very good newsletters.
I regularly peruse newsletters from around the nation.
That’s part of my job as your newsletter editor. If
you’re interested, you can click here to access a regis-
try of mineral clubs from across the United States,
along with their newsletters.
Other newsletters have interesting articles, and my
job is to seek them out. Our newsletter typically con-
tains at least one, with attribution. (This is common
practice for mineral club newsletters.)
If you know of a great piece in another newsletter—
or, for that matter, in any other source—please let me
know! I will run it—and give you the credit!
GMU Club Show
A Gem Among Gems
by Sheryl E. Sims
The Northern Virginia Mineral Club held its 24th
Annual Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at George
Mason University (GMU) on November 21‒22. This
year’s show proved to be yet another success. We had
good attendance and our usual array of vendors.
This year, for fire safety, the Hub Ballroom was re-
served for vendors’ tables alone. Visitors to the show
seemed pleased to have more room for viewing spec-
imens; several commented that they liked not having
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 4
Thanks to Sheryl Sims
for all the great photos!
to navigate around the kids’ tables. There were many
wonderful specimens to covet and buy!
One of the things that I enjoyed most was watching
the children learning and actively engaging in the
many mineral activities in the two classrooms for
kids. From tiny tots to teens, there was something for
everyone!
Although not located in our immediate show area this
year, the Scouts made a good showing, with about a
hundred Boy and Girl Scouts in attendance! Many
participated in our show as well as in the STEM (sci-
ence, technology, engineering, and math) sessions in
the Exploratory Hall next door.
It was also nice to see our members as well as GMU
students helping out in various ways to keep the show
running smoothly. Those assisting with the shuttle
from the parking lot were especially appreciated. It
was great seeing mineral friends who traveled some
distance to support our show, such as Dr. Lance and
Cynthia Kearns as well as Steve and Carolyn Wein-
berger.
Jim Kostka and Tom Taffee have the master list of all
the helpers, so I won’t try to list all of the people who
should be thanked for their hard work. I’m sure we
will do that at a later time. I do, however, want to
thank Jim and Tom for all they did to make our
show such a success!
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 5
The Blois mineral and fossil show. Bottom: Roger Haskins with
local dealers (each holding a glass of beer).
Photos: Sue Marcus. The national mineral gallery in Paris, with the author
standing in front of smoky quartz and amethyst displays.
Photo: Roger Haskins.
Exploring Minerals in France: Part 2
by Sue Marcus
Is mineral collecting your vacation? Or are minerals
part of your vacation? Here’s the second part of how
we incorporated seeing, buying, and trading minerals
into our September trip to France.
Mineral and Fossil Show
By sheer luck, we happened upon a 1-day mineral
and fossil show in Blois. We were in the right place at
the right time—and Roger wasn’t keen on visiting
Versailles but was willing to stop here on our way to
Paris. This show was all dealers and slightly larger
than our own club show.
Fossils are big in France; I wish I’d brought some to
trade. Some dealers would trade and some would not.
Again, I was mostly looking for French specimens,
although I also purchased a couple of odd Indian
fluorites and a couple of Moroccan specimens from
dealers with family in those countries.
Paris Minerals
In Paris, we had two minerals-related stops. I’ll end
with the better one.
We were very unimpressed by the mineral gallery in
the National Museum of Natural History in the Jardin
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 6
Fluorite on smoky quartz in the national mineral gallery in Paris.
Photo: Sue Marcus.
Beryllonite in the national mineral gallery in Paris.
Photo: Sue Marcus.
Roger Haskins enjoying chocolate tarts decorated
with gold foil. Photo: Sue Marcus.
des Plantes. There’s an entrance fee but no shop, not
even post cards for sale. The museum consists of one
long hall with huge, mostly quartz crystals down the
middle. Impressive, but … quartz? We did see an
outstanding—I’d say world-class—beryllonite.
I visited our final stop—a dealer in minerals, fossils,
and meteorites—several times, waiting for the man-
ager to be in and trying to get up my courage to ask to
trade. Online, Carion Minereaux seemed expensive,
but it was very close to the flat we’d rented.
Inside, there were lots of familiar minerals that didn’t
interest me—from Arizona, Mexico, and so forth—
and the owners like meteorites, again not our thing.
But there was one aragonite from Argentina (I know,
not France!) that caught my eye, priced at 35 euro
(about $39). Probably worth it, though not to me.
I finally saw the apparent manager and tried my
luck—and my luck was in! I lost some weight in
specimens to bring home and got one specimen I
wanted.
It turns out that the “manager” is Louis Carion, son of
the founder. We had a great chat! The family has
been going to the Tucson show since the 1980s and
has been there many more times than we have.
They’ve even bought a house there! We talked of
great finds and collectors, and I left very happy.
Chocolate Gold
Then there’s the gold. Roger and I have never eaten
more gold than we did on this trip! Many French pas-
try shops decorate their chocolate tarts with gold foil.
We love chocolate tarts and ate them wherever and
whenever we could find them. Sorry folks, the gold
wasn’t the draw this time!
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 7
AFMS News
Safety Matters—The Example
by Ellery Borow, AFMS Safety Chair
Editor’s note: The article is adapted from the
A.F.M.S. Newsletter (September 2015), p. 5.
The examples we set for the kids around
us are profound. Whether it’s our own kids,
the neighbors’ kids, the playground kids,
the kids in the grocery store, or the kids on
our field trips, kids are watching what we
adults do.
On field trips, safety is important, and if adults set a
good example, it can make an impression on kids.
Kids will mimic, adopt, accept, follow, and learn
from the examples we set.
Kids want to grow up and do the things adults do. If
we, as responsible adults, set good examples, then the
pathway to adulthood will be that much safer for the
child.
On your next rock-collecting adventure, think about
putting your proper footwear on first, wearing your
safety goggles first, and placing gloves on your hands
first. Mind where you toss your leaverite, how you
use your collecting tools, and how you interact with
others—kids might be watching.
Even if the kids are hundreds of feet away from
where we are working, they will do what kids do best.
Their curiosity will make them watch, and the little
sponges in their heads will absorb the things we do
and the words we speak. Even without your knowing
it, kids are watching you—that is their nature.
What if the kids around us are far away—too far
away to see whether or not we are wearing safety
glasses? Should we then drop our guard and dismiss
the need to wear goggles and gloves and use proper
tool techniques?
Perhaps you have noted the incredible tendency of
kids to show up just as we make our greatest mistakes
(such as not wearing those goggles). But even with-
out kids around, we also deserve to be safe. It’s just
that, with kids around, we need to be extra vigilant
about setting a good example.
Also, please consider this: If we set a good example,
then the parents of the kids around us will have a
much easier time teaching their kids the right things
to do because everyone around them will be doing the
right things.
What a great relief for a parent of young children! It’s
no fun for a parent to have to keep saying to their
child, “No, don’t do what they are doing” or “No, that
guy over there is not following the safety rules for the
trip.”
Be safe, act safe, set a safe example, and see the
smiles. Be safe because everyone’s safety matters!
EFMLS News
The Great Rockhound Debate
by Andy B. Celmer, EFMLS Historian
Editor’s note: The article is excerpted and
adapted from EFMLS News (May 2015), p. 5.
In the EFMLS Newsletter for November
1963, editor Vernon Wertz published an
article on “the Rockhound question.” He
noted a “large amount of comment” on
whether use of the term “rockhound” is appropriate
and stated that EFMLS official records and corre-
spondence were refraining from its use.
However, an editorial by Francis W. “Bud” Trapp,
President of The Gem and Lapidary Society of Wash-
ington, DC, defended the use of the term “rock-
hounder” as inclusive of all aspects of our hobby,
noting that another such term did not exist.
Bud suggested that the term was no more derogatory
than “doughboys,” “Yankee,” or “Johnny Reb.” He
counted 65 clubs with the term “rockhound” in the
club name, saying that those 65 clubs might not be
eager to change their names.
Bud cited an article by Dr. George Switzer in the No-
vember 1951 issue of National Geographic Magazine
under the title, “Rockhounds Uncover Earth’s Miner-
al Beauty.” The author began the article thusly:
“Years ago, when I first became a Rockhound, …”
Bud concluded his editorial with the slogan of the
forthcoming Eastern and American Federation Con-
vention in 1967: “Washington, DC—Rockhound
Heaven in ’67, National Gem and Mineral Show.” He
argued that it was a much better slogan than, say,
“Come All Ye Mineral Collectors and Lapidarists to
Washington, DC, in 1967.”
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 8
Source: Wikipedia.
Tribune Tower: A Tower That Rocks
by Sheryl E. Sims
Piercing the Chicago skies stands a neo-Gothic
building called the Tribune Tower. Within its walls
are the Chicago Tribune, Tribune Publishing, and
Tribune Media Company.
It wasn’t until recently that this would have made any
impression on me. True, the Tribune Tower is unique
in its architecture. Having won first place for being
“the most beautiful and distinctive office building in
the world,” this building was truly a standout when it
was built in 1925, the brainchild of New York archi-
tects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood.
But to me what makes the Tribune Tower so unique
is the fact that Chicago Tribune correspondents have
brought back rocks and bricks from important historic
sites all over the world. Some of the stones and bricks
are embedded in the lower walls of the building,
along with etchings naming the original locations.
Think of a significant political or social event in the
history of the world and there is a good chance that it is represented in the walls of the tower. Here are just
a few examples:
Taj Mahal, India: White marble mausoleum.
Clementine Hall, Vatican City: Hall of the Apostolic
Palace near St. Peter’s Basilica.
Parthenon, Athenian Acropolis, Greece: Marble
temple.
Hagia Sophia, Turkey: Imperial mosque (formerly
Christian patriarchal basilica).
Palace of Westminster, UK: Meeting place of the
British House of Commons and House of Lords.
United States: A rock or brick from each state.
Pyramid of Giza, Egypt: Casing stones from one of
the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Lincoln’s Tomb, Springfield, IL: Marble from the
tomb of Abraham Lincoln and family.
The Great Wall of China: Brick, stone, wood, and
earth.
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA: Site where
Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution.
Source: Wikipedia.
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 9
Chicago Tribune building stones. Source: Wikipedia.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia: Capital Temple,
the largest religious monument in the
world.
Petrified Forest, AZ: Petrified wood.
Berlin Wall: Barrier that once divided
East and West Berlin. Demolished in
1992.
Notre Dame, Paris: Catholic cathedral.
The Alamo, TX: Roman Catholic mission
and fortress compound in 1836.
Fort Santiago, Manila, Philippines: Cita-
del built by the Spanish; most im-
portant historical site in Manila.
I find the whole idea of this building hav-
ing memories encased in rocks, bricks,
iron, and other materials embedded in its
walls fascinating! Who knew that so
many points of interest could be found
between “a rock and a hard place?”
Ft. Santiago, Notre
Dame, and a temple
in Hunan, China.
Source: Wikipedia.
World Trade Center.
Source: Wikipedia.
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 10
GeoWord of the Day
(from the American Geoscience Institute)
phenomenal gem
A gemstone exhibiting an optical phenomenon, such as asterism, chatoyancy, or play of color.
(from the Glossary of Geology, 5th edition, revised)
Red Hatters at the Vulcan Manassas Quarry. Photo: Sue Marcus.
Red Hatters Visit Vulcan Manassas
Quarry
by Sue Marcus
Where do I take a group of over-50-year-old ladies
for a good time? The Vulcan Manassas Quarry, of
course!
On September 30, I had the pleasure of leading my
chapter of the Red Hat Society on a field trip to the
quarry. Red Hatters are women over 50 (though we
had a couple of younger tag-a-longs) who get togeth-
er for fun and companionship. None but me had ever
been to a quarry before and all were eager to learn.
The most frequently heard comment was, “I’ve lived
nearby all my life and never knew it was there!”
Plant manager and geologist Chris Carroll, assisted
by KT, explained the processing, shipping, and quar-
rying of the materials. The women were awed by the
cost of the haul truck tires and by the vastness of the
quarry operations. We heard about the extensive
regulations the quarry management must follow, not
only the usual water, air, and safety regulations but
also not blasting until after school is out—the quarry
property now adjoins two schools.
The Vulcan staff laid out a hands-on display of min-
erals and mineral products. Chris said that he receives
his first work-related phone call at 3:20 a.m. and ex-
pects to leave work at 6 p.m.; he and KT were patient
and chipper throughout our visit. The ladies learned
about the complexity of providing a commodity they
had taken for granted.
And, yes—of course I passed out flyers for our club
show!
Christmas Firemen
Editor’s note: The story is adapted from
MOROKS (newsletter of the Monrovia Rockhounds,
Monrovia, CA), December 2014, p. 3.
Around Christmas time, a visitor from New York
was passing through a small town in the South when
he spotted a remarkable Nativity Scene. It showed
great skill and talent in whoever had created it, but
one small feature bothered him: The three wise men
were wearing firemen’s helmets.
Baffled, he left. At a small convenience store at the
edge of town, he asked the lady behind the counter
about the Nativity Scene, and she said she knew it
well. But when he asked about the firemen’s helmets,
she flew into a rage.
“Don’t you damn Yankees ever read the Bible?” she
shouted.
The man assured her that he did but simply couldn’t
recall anything about firemen in the Bible. The lady
pulled her Bible out from under the counter and ruf-
fled through the pages, finally jabbing her finger at a
passage and sticking it into the man’s face.
“See, it says right there,” she said triumphantly.
“‘The three wise men came from afar.’”
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 11
Henry Raeburn, James Hutton (1776), detail. Oil on canvas.
Source: Wikipedia.
Story of Geology
James Hutton: Father of Geology
by Hutch Brown
Editor’s note: The author is solely responsible for the
views expressed here, which do not necessarily reflect
those of other NVMC members. If you would like to com-
ment or contribute to our newsletter, please contact me at
Most naturalists in 1800 embraced a school of
thought known as Neptunism, championed by the
German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749‒
1817). In accordance with the biblical story of Gene-
sis, Werner taught that ancient global oceans molded
the Earth’s surface, laying down layers of rock in
stages. A cataclysmic deluge sculpted caves, arches,
canyons, and other landforms in short periods of time
as great floodwaters rose and then receded again,
scouring the Earth with unimaginable force.
People who believe in the literal truth of the Bible,
some with degrees in geology, still hold similar views
(see, for example, Oard 2009; Williams 2003). But
the vast majority of geologists today no longer sub-
scribe to the Neptunist school of thought.
Why not? What changed?
Plutonism
Even in the 18th century, not all scientists were Nep-
tunists. The Italian abbot and naturalist Anton Moro
(1687‒1764) was one of the first to propose that the
Earth was filled with molten rock, based on his study
of volcanism and volcanic rocks. The French natural-
ist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Count of Buffon (1707‒
88), hypothesized that the Earth derived from the
sun—that it was a ball of molten material, mainly
iron, that was slowly cooling.
Indeed, one of the chief weaknesses of Neptunism
was its failure to satisfactorily account for volcanism.
Werner attributed basalt dikes and sills to sedimenta-
tion on ancient ocean floors, despite growing evi-
dence that basalt resulted from upwelling molten mat-
ter from within the Earth.
Well into the 19th century, Neptunism still held sway,
but doubts were growing. The alternative view—that
the Earth had fiery rather than watery origins—was
known as Plutonism for Pluto, the Roman god of the
underworld (versus Neptune, god of the sea).
One naturalist, more than any other, can take credit
for the eventual triumph of Plutonism: James Hutton
(1726‒97), known as the Father of Geology.
Enlightenment Scholar
Born into a family of merchants, Hutton grew up in
Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied medicine and chem-
istry at the university, and his chemical experiments
with a partner led him to discover how to make the
halide mineral sal ammoniac (NH4Cl) from soot. The
partners turned their discovery into a profitable chem-
ical works that manufactured crystalline salts used in
dyes, metalworking, and smelling salts.
After inheriting two small farms, Hutton spent the
next 14 years as a gentleman farmer. Seeing the ef-
fects of wind and weather on his lands, he developed
a keen interest in the fledgling science of geology. A
visitor described his study as “so full of fossils and
chemical apparatus that there is hardly room to sit
down.” (Sound familiar, anyone?)
In 1768, Hutton moved back to Edinburgh, where he
spent the next three decades moving in Enlighten-
ment circles while refining his views on geology. In
the 1780s, his papers were read at the Royal Society
of Edinburgh, a club of contemporary scientists. Hut-
ton capped his research with a three-volume work
published in 1794 under the title An Investigation of
the Principles of Knowledge and of the Progress of
Reason, from Sense to Science and Philosophy. (The
work is said to be just as dull as the title.)
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 12
Figure 1—The rock cycle combines elements of both
Plutonism and Neptunism. Source: UCMP (2008).
Figure 2—Hutton’s Unconformity at Jedburgh, Scotland,
today (bottom) and in an illustration from 1787 (top).
Horizontal layers of sandstone cover vertical layers of
shale. Source: Wikipedia.
Uniformitarianism
Hutton’s work might have been hard to read, but his
ideas were revolutionary. In his experience as a
farmer and during his travels in Europe, Hutton ob-
served the constant erosion of rocks and soils, with
sediments washing out to sea. He reasoned that sedi-
ments accumulating on seafloors gradually thicken
and compact into rock layers, a notion similar to the
Neptunist view that rocks precipitated from seawater.
But Hutton was no Neptunist. Recognizing that ero-
sion and deposition can be followed by uplift of rock
layers from the ocean floor into new landforms, Hut-
ton reasoned that the cause was subterranean heat. In
his view, high pressures and temperatures deep within
the Earth warmed and melted the Earth’s crust, result-
ing in processes ranging from doming to volcanism
and creating formations of basalt and granite as well
as mineral veins.
In fact, Hutton recognized that the Earth’s landforms
are subject to a continuous cycle of erosion, sedimen-
tation, compaction, and uplift (fig. 1). He fundamen-
tally broke with the Neptunist view that the Earth had
a known beginning commensurate with the biblical
story of Creation. “The result, therefore, of this phys-
ical enquiry,” Hutton wrote, “is that we find no ves-
tige of a beginning, no prospect of an end.”
Hutton’s central contribution to geology was his no-
tion of a cycle of ongoing creation and destruction at
about the same rate we see around us today, with
miniscule changes within a single century or even
millennium. Geologists call it the rock cycle (fig. 1).
A logical corollary of the rock cycle is that the Earth
is not thousands of years old—as a literal reading of
the story of Genesis might suggest—but millions or
even billions.
Building on Hutton’s work, 19th
-century geologists
developed a school of thought known as Uniformitar-
ianism (as opposed to the Catastrophism preached by
the Neptunists): the notion that geological processes
of creation and destruction, through incremental
change at uniform rates, have been shaping and re-
shaping the Earth for eons. As Hutton put it, even the
oldest rocks are made up of “materials furnished from
the ruins of former continents.”
Unconformities
During his travels, using methods familiar to modern
field geologists, Hutton found evidence to support his
theory. In Scotland alone, he found multiple exam-
ples of what geologists call unconformities—
junctures of rock layers showing a gap in the geologi-
cal record (fig. 2). For example, horizontal rock lay-
ers overlying vertical ones indicate a period when the
older uplifted rocks were exposed to erosion before
being covered by much younger sediments.
The classic example of an unconformity is exposed in
a cliff on the Scottish coast at Siccar Point (fig. 3).
Vertical layers of early Silurian graywacke (interme-
diate between shale and sandstone), laid down in a
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 13
Figure 3—Hutton’s Unconformity at Siccar Point, Scotland. Nearly
horizontal layers of red sandstone overlie vertical layers of graywacke.
Source: Wikipedia.
deep-sea environment about 425 million years ago,
are covered by horizontal layers of late Devonian
sandstone, deposited about 345 million years ago on a
coastal plain subject to periodic flooding by the sea.
Hutton didn’t know all this, but he did know that the
unconformity he discovered attested to geological
processes at work over vast periods of time. He could
tell from ripple marks in the vertical layers that clays,
silts, and sands were laid down in an ancient sea, over
time forming rock that ranged from shale to gray-
wacke.
Hutton could also tell from the vertical structure of
the formation that the rock had been uplifted and tilt-
ed over time. In his view, the engine of uplift was
subterranean heat, as evidenced by hot springs and
volcanoes. Hutton proposed that molten matter within
the Earth causes its crust to warm and expand, result-
ing in the gradual uplift that forms mountains and
causes rock formations to tilt, fold, and fault.
The vertical layers of rock abruptly ended where they
were covered by sandstone. From the unconformity,
Hutton could tell that the rock had been uplifted from
the ocean and exposed to wind and weather over a
period of time. How much time—and how much rock
had weathered away—were impossible for him to tell
using the methods available at the time.
From the overlying horizontal layers of sandstone,
however, Hutton could infer that the vertical layers of
rock were again exposed to a marine environment. He
surmised that offshore sands covered the site for a
very long time, finally accumulating enough weight
and pressure to form the red sandstone we see today.
The boundary between the two rock types at Siccar
Point and elsewhere is called Hutton’s Unconformity.
Hutton’s Legacy
The science of geology owes a tremendous amount to
Hutton’s discoveries. The Uniformitarian school of
thought finally put science on track to trace the geo-
logical history of rock formations and to accurately
calculate their age—and, ultimately, the age of the
Earth itself. Based on Hutton’s work, scientists began
focusing on heat and pressure from within the Earth
as the engine driving uplift, faulting, and folding as
well as the formation of igneous and metamorphic
rocks. Yet Hutton also borrowed from the Neptunist
school of thought, notably the idea that many sedi-
mentary rocks form in marine environments.
Hutton’s work marked a final break between science
and religion. The natural theologians of the early
modern period (from about 1500 to 1800) strove to
demonstrate the literal truth of the Bible by finding
the biblical story of Creation inscribed in the face of
the Earth. Accordingly, they postulated the very
premise they set out to prove, a textbook case of cir-
cular reasoning. Their inquiries were ultimately
grounded in their faith in the received truth of the
Word of God as recorded in the Bible.
By contrast, in a classic exercise of scientific metho-
lodogy, Hutton postulated nothing but the empirically
verifiable evidence of the material world around him.
He formulated a natural explanation for what he ob-
served, then tested his hypothesis based on the evi-
dence he found. The unconformities he discovered
confirmed his theory, forming the basis of modern
geology.
Indirect Influence
Hutton’s impact on the emerging science of geology
was indirect because his writing was so abstruse. For-
tunately, he had friends and followers whose clear
prose popularized his work in the decades following
his death. The Scottish scientist John Playfair (1748‒
1819), one of Hutton’s closest associates, published a
work in 1802 under the title Illustrations of the Hut-
tonian Theory of the Earth. Even more influential
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 14
Saskia Jones, relaxing on Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua.
Photos: Saskia Jones.
was the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell (1797‒
1875), whose writings in the 1830s elucidating Uni-
formitarianism ultimately won the day.
By the mid-19th century, few geologists were left who
still embraced Neptunism and the Catastrophic point
of view. Latterday followers who believe in the literal
truth of the Bible typically take pointed issue with
Uniformitarianism. But few others today even re-
member what Neptunism is, a sign that the battle
ended long ago. Geology has moved on.
Acknowledgment
Thanks to Sue Marcus for reviewing and commenting
on the article. The author is solely responsible for the
views expressed here and for any errors.
Sources
Editors. 2013. James Hutton. Encyclopaedia Britan-
nica.
Mathez, E.A. 2000. James Hutton: The founder of
modern geology. In: Mathez, E.A., ed. Earth: Inside
out. New York, NY: American Museum of Natural
History: 133‒134.
No author. 2015. James Hutton. Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
Oard, M. 2009. Many arches and natural bridges like-
ly from the Flood. Journal of Creation 23(1): 115‒
118. UCMP. 2008. Uniformitarianism: Charles Lyell. In:
Understanding evolution. University of California
Museum of Paleontology. 22 August.
Williams, E.L. 2003. Natural Tunnel, Virginia:
Origin speculations. Creation Research Society
Quarterly 39(4): 220–224.
Minding Minds: Geology 101
by Sheryl E. Sims
Saskia Jones, a sophomore at George Mason Uni-
versity (GMU) in Fairfax, VA, has discovered a
growing interest in geology. Saskia, a friend of my
daughter Amber’s, got wind of my passion for rocks
and minerals during their high school years together
at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, VA.
Although some people might Remember the Titans,
Amber’s friends remember my passion for minerals!
I’m sure that Saskia heard about Amber’s required
presence at sunrise field trips to the Manassas or
some other quarry. She probably laughed at the photo
of Amber leaning against the car window with her
head buried in her arms, with a look on her face that
said, “Why me?” Now Saskia knows why!
Saskia became interested in geology last year. Think-
ing that it would be the easiest science course that she
could take, Saskia immediately put all of her “eggs in
the basket of geology,” as she put it.
She was not surprised to find the class very interest-
ing. She enjoyed studying everything from igneous
rocks to the different types of weathering. “So far,”
she said, “we have covered planets, matter and min-
erals, igneous rocks, volcanos, sedimentary rocks,
weathering and soil, and metamorphic rocks.”
What she enjoyed most, however, was the lab work.
“I find it extremely fascinating,” Saskia told me, “ac-
tually seeing and holding the minerals and rocks in
person after I have learned about them in lecture.”
As rockhounds and mineral club members, we all
know that this is exactly what we long to hear from
young people! What could be better than passing our
passion for Earth sciences and our hobby to the next
generation? There is such a joy that comes from shar-
ing knowledge, excitement—and, yes, even minerals.
I mentioned to Saskia that the NVMC hosts a fantas-
tic annual mineral show, and I asked whether she had
met Professor Julia Nord or attended any of her clas-
ses. She told me no, because she was studying at
GMU. “I have Stacey Verado for lecture,” she said,
“and Tyler Fabian for lab.”
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 15
Eclogite from Almenning, Norway. The red-brown
mineral is garnet, the green is omphacite, and the
white is quartz. Source: Wikipedia.
Mineral of the Month: Veszelyite
by Hutch Brown
Veszelyite on matrix, from the Black Pine Mine, Phillipsburg,
MT, now in the Smithsonian National Mineral Collection.
Photo: Chip Clark.
Veszelyite ((Cu,Zn)2Zn(PO4)2 • 2H2O) is a rare cop-
per/zinc hydrated phosphate discovered in 1874 in Ro-
mania by A. Veszeli (1820‒88), a Hungarian miner who
modestly named the mineral for himself.
Ranging from green to deep blue, the mineral occurs in
the oxidized zones of base metal deposits. Common as-
sociates include malachite.
Veszelyite has a Mohs hardness of 3-1/2 to 4. Its crystal
system is monoclinic-prismatic. It has a vitreous luster
and a streak ranging from green to white.
Sources: Mindat, Mineralogy Database.
When asked if her class would be helping out with
the mineral show, Saskia replied, “We most likely
will not attend because the class is very individual-
ized and the instructors would not put that on top of
the students’ existing workload.”
However, she added that she had never attended a
mineral show before and that “I am sure it would be
cool.” And we all know that our mineral show is one
of the “coolest” mineral shows around!
Asked whether or not her class had been on any field
trips yet, Saskia stated sadly that it had not. She add-
ed that she does not have a favorite mineral yet but
that “eclogite is really cool.”
According to Wikipedia, eclogite (the “g” is pro-
nounced soft, like “j”) is a mafic (meaning high in
magnesium and iron) metamorphic rock. Eclogite
forms at pressures greater than those typical in
the Earth’s crust. An unusually dense rock, eclogite
can play an important role in driv-
ing convection within the solid Earth.
The rock can be striking in appearance, with red to
pink garnet (almandine-pyrope) in a green matrix of
sodium-rich pyroxene (omphacite). Accessory miner-
als include kynanite, rutile, quartz, lawsonite, oesite,
amphibole, phengite, paragonite, zoisite, dolomite,
corundum, and—rarely—diamond.
Eclogite typically results from high-pressure meta-
morphism of mafic igneous rock (usually basalt or
gabbro) as it plunges into the mantle in a subduction
zone. Such eclogites are generally formed from pre-
cursor mineral assemblages typical of blueschist-
facies or amphibolite-facies metamorphism. Ec-
logite can also form from magmas that crystallize
and cool within the mantle or lower crust.
I think Saskia’s interest in geology is real, and I look
forward to her attending our shows and meetings
when her schedule and class workload permits!
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 16
Upcoming Events (of interest in the mid-Atlantic region)
December
5‒6: Miami, FL— Gem, Jewelry, Mineral, and Fos-
sil Show; Miami Mineralogical and Lapidary
Guild; Evelyn Greer Park, 8200 SW 124 Street,
Pinecrest, FL, just one block off US 1; Sat/Sun 10‒
5; adults $4, children under 12 free, free parking;
info: www.miamigemandmineral.com.
January/February
30‒13: Tucson, AZ—Wholesale and retail show;
400 dealers in three locations: InnSuites Hotel,
Ramada Ltd., Mineral & Fossil Marketplace; 475 N
Granada, 665 N Freeway, 1330 N Oracle; 10‒6;
free admission; info: Regina Aumente, PO Box
665, Bernalillo, NM 87004, 505-867-0425, mzex-
[email protected]; Web site: www.mzexpos.com.
February
19‒21: Indianapolis, IN—GeoFest: 14th Annual
Indiana State Museum Fossil, Gem and Mineral
Show; Fri/Sat 10‒5, Sun 11‒4; museum admission:
adults $13, seniors $12, children $8.50; info: Peggy
Fisherkeller, 650 West Washington Street, Indian-
apolis, IN 46204; 317-232-7172; pfisherkel-
[email protected]; Website:
www.indianamuseum.org.
March
5‒6: Newark, DE—53rd Annual Earth Science Gem
and Mineral Show; Delaware Mineralogical Socie-
ty, Inc.; Delaware Technical and Community Col-
lege, 400 Stanton-Christiana Road, Newark, DE (I-
95 Exit 4B); Sat 10‒6, Sun 11‒5; adults $6, seniors
$5, kids 12‒16 $4, 11 and under free; info:
www.delminsociety.org or contact
[email protected] or call Wayne Urion at 302-
998-0686.
11‒13: Augusta, GA—28th annual Aiken-Augusta
Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show; sponsors: Aiken
Gem, Mineral and Fossil Society, Augusta Gem
and Mineral Society; Fri/Sat 10‒7, Sun 11‒5; Jul-
ian Smith Casino, 2200 Broad Street, August, GA;
adults $3/$5 weekend pass, children under 12 free
with an adult; info: Chris Glass, 706-284-9239,
www aikengmfs.org.
19‒20: Sayre, PA—47th Annual Che-Hanna Rock &
Mineral Club show; Athens Twp. Volunteer Fire
Hall, 211 Herrick Ave; Sat 9‒5, Sun 10‒4; info:
Bob McGuire at 570-928-9238 or [email protected].
April
2‒3: Orange, CT—43rd Annual Show 2016, Miner-
als, Gems, Jewelry & Fossils; New Haven Mineral
Club; Sat 9:30‒5, Sun 9:30‒5; Amity Regional
Middle School, Sheffield Rd (off Rt 34), Orange,
CT. Adults $5, children under 12 free when accom-
panied by an adult; info: newhavenmineralclub.org.
16: Severna Park, MD— Annual Jewelry Gem and
Mineral Show; Patuxent Lapidary Guild, Inc.; Sat
10‒5; Earleigh Heights VFC, Rte. 2, Severna Park,
MD; over 10 years old $2.00, under 10 free.
GMU club show,
November 2015.
Photo: Sheryl Sims.
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 17
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Hobby Related Interests (check all that apply) Minerals ___ Fossils ___ Artifacts ___ Micromounts ___ Field Trips ___
Lapidary ___ Tumbling ___ Carving ___ Jewelry ___
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The Club Newsletter is distributed by email using G-Mail. Electronic versions are full color and approxi-
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I do hereby waive all right to hold The Northern Virginia Mineral Club, Inc. and its Officers liable for any
personal injury or loss sustained by me or any member of my family while participating in club activities. I
also agree to adhere to the rules and regulations of The Northern Virginia Mineral Club, Inc. as set forth by
its bylaws.
Signature of Applicant: _______________________
Please pay at meetings or mail to: Northern Virginia
Mineral Club, P.O. Box 10085, Manassas VA 20108
Family is defined as one ad-
dress. Maximum 2 adults living in same
home and children under 18 years of
age residing at same address.
Please Indicate:
New Member: ______
or Renewal: ______
Dues Payment enclosed is for
calendar year 201___
Fees are due January 1st or upon
submission of a new application.
* New membership dues paid after
June will be prorated for ½ year.
Collecting trips / field trips
can only be attended by
NVMC club members who
are current with dues
payment and are in “good
standing.”
The Mineral Newsletter December 2015 18
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT:
http://www.novamineralclub
You can send your newsletter articles to:
Visitors are always welcome at our club meetings!
Purpose: To promote and encourage interest in and
learning about geology, mineralogy, lapidary arts,
and related sciences. The club is a member of the
Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary
Societies (EFMLS, http://www.amfed.org/efmls) and
the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
(AFMS—at http://www. amfed. org).
Dues: Due by January 1 of each year; $15 individu-
al, $20 family, $6 junior (under 16, sponsored by an
adult member).
Meetings: At 7:45 p.m. on the fourth Monday of
each month (except May and December)* at Long
Branch Nature Center, 625 Carlin Springs Road,
Arlington, VA 22204. (No meeting in July or Au-
gust.)
*Changes are announced in the newsletter; we follow
the snow schedule of Arlington County schools.
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP!
SEND YOUR DUES TO: Kenny Loveless, Treasurer, NVMC
PO Box 10085, Manassas, VA 20108
OR
Bring your dues to the next meeting.
The Northern Virginia Mineral Club
2015 Club Officers President: Wayne Sukow
Vice-President: Kathy Hrechka
Secretary: Dave MacLean
Treasurer: Rick Reiber
[email protected] Field Trip Chair: Ted Carver
Webmaster: Casper Voogt
Communications: Jim Kostka
Editor: Hutch Brown
Show Co-Chair: Tom Taaffe
Show Co-Chair: Jim Kostka
Greeter/Door Prizes: Ti Meredith
